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1. Field of the Invention
Typical disc recording mediums and the protective cover or container therefore involve separate components which are either collectively insertable into a device to read from or write to the medium or which must be separated prior to inserting the medium in to a reading or writing device. These apparatus range from the shutter cartridge devices, such as U.S. Pat. No. 6,377,538 B1 to the protective cartridge of U.S. Pat. No. 6,118,757. Compact disk containers in the art typically include a base with a cover pivotally connected to one side of the base. Some engaging means is provided in the base to secure the disk within the container. Cartridges in the art which protectively contain disks and which are inserted directly into disk reading or writing drives use shutters or sliding doors to expose a portion of the disk to the reading or writing device.
The prior art is limited in that there is no self-contained, multi-axis recordable and storage apparatus which will universally adapt to all existing reading or writing devices and ultimately provide ease and convenience to the manufacturer and end user. Additionally, there is no such apparatus which will accept existing recorded medium, analog or digital, and allow its own protective cover/container to be physically inserted as a unitary assembly into playing, reading, or writing devices.
2. Description of the Related Art including Information Disclosed under 37 C.F.R. 1.97 and 1.98
A search of the prior art located the following United States patents which are believed to be representative of the present state of the prior art: U.S. Pat. No. 6,377,538 B1, issued Apr. 23, 2002, U.S. Pat. No. 6,298,986 B1, issued Oct. 9, 2001, U.S. Pat. No. 6,256,168 B1, issued Jul. 3, 2001, U.S. Pat. No. 6,205,115 B1, issued Mar. 20, 2001, U.S. Pat. No. 6,118,757, issued Sep. 12, 2000, U.S. Pat. No. 6,077,583, issued Jun. 20, 2000, U.S. Pat. No. 6,021,031, issued Feb. 1, 2000, U.S. Pat. No. 6,005,755, issued Dec. 21, 1999, U.S. Pat. No. 5,903,542, issued May 11, 1999, U.S. Pat. No. 5,787,069, issued Jul. 28, 1998, European Patent Application EP 0 843 310 A1, published Apr. 20, 1998, U.S. Pat. No. 4,387,807, issued Jun. 14, 1983, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,547,342.
There is presently a need for a self-contained, multi-axis recordable and storage apparatus which will universally adapt to all existing reading or writing devices, to save time, effort and materials. Additionally, there is a need for such an apparatus which will accept existing recorded medium, analog or digital, and allow the protective container to be inserted into playing, reading, or writing devices.
It is, therefore, an objective of the present invention to provide convenience to the manufacturer and end-user by combining the container and the recording medium into one device wherein the operator/user might record, store, protect, insulate, encapsulate, read, run and play an analog recording of music, voice, or any audible sound, such as a phonograph-type etched record, etc., within its own integrated and inter-related functioning components.
It is another objective of the present invention to provide convenience to the manufacturer and end-user by combining the container and the recording medium into one device wherein the operator/user might record, store, protect, insulate, encapsulate, read, run and play a digital recording of music, voice, data, software application, and/or video, using laser optics, a magnetic film, or other recordable film materials within its own integrated and inter-related functioning components.
It is another objective of the present invention to provide convenience to the manufacturer and end-user by combining the container and the recording medium into one device wherein the operator/user might record, store, protect, insulate, encapsulate, view and transfer photographic film slides, pictures, photo, anti-static film, magnetic objects, or other visual art or readable print media within its own integrated and inter-related functioning components.
It is another objective of the present invention to provide convenience to the end-user by combining the protective cover/container with the stored useful medium/device into a unitary assembly wherein the user might record, protect, insulate, encapsulate, view and/or transfer a two or three-dimensional mold, artwork, machining plate, printing fixture and/or any useful and storable material within its own integrated and inter-related functioning components.
It is yet another objective of the present invention to provide convenience to the end-user by combining the protective cover/container with the stored useful medium/device into a unitary assembly wherein the user might protect, insulate, encapsulate and utilize other man-made or natural materials such as: (i) any electronic/electrical assembly, integrated circuitry and/or very large-scale integrated circuits or printed circuit boards; (ii) any medical or experimental specimen and/or sample; (iii) chemical and/or biological material in either liquid or solid form; (iv) any edible food or object in liquid or solid form; (v) any man-made solid object including, but not limited to, lenses, rings, coins, chips, other types of jewelry, etc.; (vi) any organic or non-organic object; and (vii) another mechanical or electronic device including, but not limited to, a watch, a personal digital assistant, a cell phone, a computer, an electronic handheld device, a directional compass, a camera, a video monitor screen, an electronic book, a toy, etc.
It is yet an additional objective of the present invention to provide the end user increased utility and ease of operation by: (i) providing a more convenient loading and unloading movement when the invention is used with a variety of digital or analog recording or play-back devices, for example, with floppy disk, compact disk/polygon, VCD, DVD, zip disk, or record phonograph media; (ii) weighing less, thus allowing the user to transport more devices; (iii) requiring less storage space; (iv) being more portable; (v) storing foreign solid/liquid natural or man-made objects; and (vi) preventing the container from being physically separated or misplaced from the content medium.
It is an additional objective of the present invention to provide a unitary container/recording medium which is scratch/dust/dirt proof and impact resistant.
It is yet another objective of the present invention to provide a unitary container/recording medium which is compact in design, does not contain unnecessary void and unusable spaces, and does not use excess raw materials, thus leading to an efficient manufacturing and assembly process of the product against conventional disks with separate protective containers that exist in the market today. The possible increased efficiency manufactured product applications include, without limitation, the storage of materials for use in analog, digital, or optical recordings of voice, data, sound, software applications, video, and other useful objects according to the end user""s intentions.
It is still another objective of the present invention to provide a unitary container/recording medium which is very portable and which can be carried around by a person anywhere including physically storing the device in the user""s pocket or wallet.
It is yet another objective of the present invention to provide a unitary container/recording medium which occupies less space when stacked or placed individually or in bulk for increased and more efficient physical storage and access.
It is also another objective of the present invention to provide manufacturing benefits or advantages as a result of a device that is: (i) faster and easier to assemble; (ii) simple to manufacture compared to other existing products in the art; (iii) smaller and more compact as compared to other existing products in the art with a separate container and a separate recording medium; and (iv) easier to transport.